'India’ or ‘Bharat’! Check what our Supreme Court and Constitution have to say about it?

• Image Credit: google

• Sep 6, 2023 | admin

A G20 dinner invitation that refers to the President as 'President of Bharat' rather than 'President of India' has revived...

Digital Desk: The President of India's invitation to the G20 dinner triggered a political debate over legally changing the country's name from 'India' to 'Bharat.' 

The invitation refers to Droupadi Murmu as 'The President of Bharat' rather than 'The President of India,' prompting opposition party leaders across the country to voice concerns.

Here's what our Constitution and the Supreme Court deliberates-

According to Article 1 of the Constitution, "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States." It is critical to note that both 'India' and 'Bharat' are recognised as official names for the country in Article 1 of the Constitution.

The question is whether the Centre intends to modify the Constitution to make 'Bharat' the sole official name, replacing 'India'.

Supreme Court's Stance on Replacing 'India' and Naming it 'Bharat'-

The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL (public interest litigation) in March 2016 seeking a name change from 'India' to 'Bharat,' vehemently opposing the plea. A bench comprising of then-Chairman of the Supreme Court TS Thakur and Justice UU Lalit informed the petitioner that such requests would not be accepted.

Also Read :  BJP stoops down being afraid of INDIA alliance; Remarks Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi

"India or Bharata?" If you want to call it Bharat, that's fine. "If someone wants to call it India, let them call it India," stated Justice Thakur during that time.

Four years later, in 2020, the Supreme Court denied a similar petition to change the name of India to Bharat. The Court suggested at the time that the plea be turned into a representation and conveyed to the Union government for an appropriate determination.

"The Constitution uses both the titles 'Bharat' and 'India', India is already called 'Bharat' in the Constitution," said then CJI of India SA Bobde.

Furthermore, speaking of the Constitution amendment, If the government decides to make solely 'Bharat' the official name, a bill amending Article 1 of the Constitution must be introduced.

Article 368 authorises the amending of the Constitution by either a simple majority amendment or a special majority amendment.

Some provisions of the Constitution, such as the admission of a new state or the allocation of seats in Rajya Sabha to States and UTs, can be changed by a simple majority (i.e., more than 50%) of all members present and voting on the amendment.

Other modifications to the Constitution, including any changes to Article 1, would require a special majority (66%) of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting in that House.